"Kaji"

By: Crystal-Aura

 

Chapter 2: Waking up to a Nightmare

 

            There's a state between dreaming and awake that people sometimes find

themselves trapped in.  They try to wake themselves, yet they find out they are not

asleep.  Their world is different, yet the same, as if their subconscious mind had twisted

their world beyond recognition while they slept.  Jin found himself in this very

state…although he had been living with his Grandfather for almost a year, nothing

seemed quite real to him.  He expected to wake up one morning to hear the sweet melody

of his mother singing as she made their breakfast…he expected to slide his door and see

her standing there…but that never happened.  He knew she was dead, but in his heart, she

was very much alive. 

            He always had a very special bond with his mother, Jun.  Jun was a mentally

gifted woman; she could sense others emotions and the unseen forces that surrounded

her.  Her sense for others feelings made her incredibly sympathetic to others, so much she

would do anything to help another.  Her mental abilities only strengthened her bond with

her son; they always knew what one or the other was feeling.  This was why it was so

hard for Jin to get over her death…it took a huge chunk of his soul that left him empty

inside.  What bewildered him the most was that he could not sense her spirit.  He had

always been able to sense souls around him, yet he could not find her.  No matter how

much he called for her in his mind, she did not respond.  This made Jin wonder two

things, either there was no such thing as life after death, or Jun Kazama's soul was being

held against it's will.  He was afraid to confront either situation, he preyed that his

presumptions were wrong.

 

            The best thing for him to do was keeping himself preoccupied; emerge himself in

school and his studies of the Mishima style of fighting.  Jin became a workaholic and a

perfectionist; nothing he did was ever good enough or finished.  He took 7 classes at

school, skipping lunch to take an extra class.  When he wasn't at school or studying, he

was working out and sharpening his martial arts skills.  All that was left of his mother

was him, and he wasn't about to let her name be disgraced by anything less than perfect.

 

            If his life wasn't hard enough, he was growing at an alarming rate…it made him

very uncomfortable.  When he first arrived to the Mishima Estate, he weighed around 120

pounds and was only around 5 feet tall.  Now he was close to 6 feet and 180 pounds.  He

was very heavy set, especially for a Japanese teenager.  If he didn't work out regularly,

he would look a bit chubby.  It made him very self conscious… he wasn't too proud of

his looks to begin with; the least he wanted was to look fat.  He already went through 3

school uniform sizes, and was always embarrassed to ask Kay to get him a bigger one. 

She was always reassuring him this was normal, but regardless of her kind words, he

always felt freakish.

 

            Tonight didn't start any different than any other; he came home from school, did

his homework, studied, had dinner, and went to work out in his Grandfathers dojo. 

Usually, Heihachi would work out with him and teach something new, but tonight

Heihachi was tied up in political affairs.  The sun set quickly, but he didn't bother to light

any more lights than the few that already were.  He continued to follow his daily routine

until the moon rose and light the dojo floor with its pale blue glow.  As he moved, the

back of his mind tuned to some sort of holy melody.  Each gesture ended in a chorus that

only sang more intent, chanting the same melody over and over.  He tried to ignore it at

first, but the more he ignored it, the more it bothered him.  As his body grew weary, he

could feel the blood in his veins pulsate to the rhythm in his mind.  He snapped his fist in

the second wave in his kata… but the music blared.  He stopped mid movement…and

looked over to the screen doors, out to the woods and the full moon that hung directly

overhead.  It sounded like angels singing, yet the slow steady beat of the walk of a

funeral march.  It was so haunting, sending a chill deep into his soul.  Was he going

crazy?…what in the world was he hearing?

 

            Jin looked all around, he knew there was no sort of radio or television nearby, and

the dojo was soundproofed so meditation was easier.  Yet, the voices sang sweetly to the

eerie melody…as he looked to the halo of the moon, it seemed to pulsate to the sound. 

He slid the doors aside, stepping out to the porch.  There were no crickets chirping, no

sound, just the wind in the trees, and the voices grew even louder…was the music

coming from the woods?  He was frightened, yet intrigued… and was about to turn

around when he heard a faint voice among the singing…

His mother…calling his name.

 

            Without hesitation, he jumped off the porch and into the woods that surrounded

the Mishima estate.  It was a mountainous area, so it was very hilly and rugged, but Jin

knew these woods too well to trip or fall.  The deeper he ran into the wilderness, the

louder the voices got…and the more he realized that the voices were not singing for

reasons of joy, but of pain.  He stopped in a small clearing near a steam…and listened. 

Already tired from his workout, he tried to get his breath back.  All the voices sang

different songs…not all were in languages he knew, but he did recognize one melody

above all…the one his mother sang to him to sleep with when he was a boy.  It choked

him up, his eyes and face got warmer, but he pushed his heartache aside for his curiosity.

 

            Jin spun around from his position, desperate to know where he was hearing all

this.  As no one came forward, nothing shown it's face, he grew angry… he realized he

was being taunted.  He came to a fighting stance….something very wrong was going

on…and was very cruel to play with his emotions in such a horrific manner.

            The forest floor stirred as the winds swirled in the clearing, leaves blowing from

all directions and into his face.  Jin wiped the bits of trees from his face and eyes, he

wanted to shout but that would just get leaves and grass into his mouth.  The Earth

seemed to cry out in pain as it trembled below his feet, the air around him was so thin he

could barely breathe…every breath was precious now.  His whole body grew warm, until

it felt as if he was on fire.  Jin gasped for air, and shook from the pain, but he remained in

his stance, ready to defend himself.

            Suddenly, there was a tight grasp on his entire body…it wasn't crushing his body,

but his very soul.  It was being clenched into a tiny ball and being pulled clean out.  He

screamed out, but not with his mouth, but with his heart.  He screamed every obscenity

he knew, telling his unseen attacker to release him or else it would regret it.  His mental

battle seemed to work, as his enemy threw him down to the ground.  Its growls echoed in

his skull as it rose from his body.  As it went to the sky above him, he could sense

someone, then another someone…and yet another…he realized he could sense several

thousand souls within this monster!  Jin knew now why he could not sense his mother's

soul; it was trapped within this thing…the same entity that stole her from him.  Now he

was filled with rage…he had tried to fight it before and lost.  That hurt his pride, and this

was a rematch he had longed forever since.

            "GET BACK HERE!!!…." Jin screamed at the top of his lungs, but the winds

seemed to be louder.  "…DAMNIT, GET BACK HERE!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE

YOU???"          

            As he looked to the sky above and the moon so close he swore he could touch it,

the entity took a form of mist….invisible yet he was able to see it somewhat.  It's eyes

shown like earthly stars and wings spread across the horizon like a skeletons fingertips. 

Jin wanted so badly to attack it, but how do you hit something with no physical form? 

He shook from his frustration…all he could do was scream at it.  It had no voice to return

his insults, but instead all he could hear were the cries of help from the souls within, that

in itself was enough to retaliate.  It reached out and held a tight grip on him, rendering

him motionless.  His skin felt as if it was on fire again, and it began to flare up in the

upper area of his left arm.  As he got control of his body again, Jin fought for control of

his right arm and grasped for his left…the burning seemed to go straight to the bone.  The

glow was in the form of a streaking light, going from the top of his shoulder to the

bottom of his elbow.  When the glow dissipated, the winds calmed…the leaves fell…and

the entity was gone.  Jin fell to his knees and took in all the air he could.  His anger made

his stomach upset…he tried to vomit, but all that came was a dry heave.  It felt like the

attack burned all the moisture in his body.  He stumbled to the small nearby stream; the

water was hot because it flowed to a hot spring.  But he didn't care; he was so thirsty he

drank at least 5 handfuls of warm volcanically warmed water.  He felt like he would sell

his soul just for a nice cold drink right about then. 

            Jin wearily walked back to the mansion, back through the dojo and into one of the

sitting rooms.  He fell onto the couch and fell fast asleep…at least when he was asleep,

he knew he was definitely dreaming.

            There was a sniffling in his ear, then a warm moist feeling on his cheek.  He was

jolted awake, then looked to a pair of concerned eyes.  His grandfather's bear, Kuma, was

trying to wake him up.  Jin sat up to pet the bear on his huge head…wearily.

            "You gave me a little scare, Kuma!" Jin meekly grinned.

            "Why do you smell like death?…" Jin could hear the bear's thoughts and speak

with it as if it were human.  Jin loved and respected animals; they seemed a lot more

human than most people.  "…I was scared you weren't going to wake up!"

            Jin stood up, not sure how to answer Kuma's question.  The huge grizzly followed

him and constantly sniffed him, almost tripping Jin as he walked.

            "I don't like this smell…it scares me…" Kuma kept telling him.  "…Wash it off,

cub!" The bear referred to Jin as a cub because he saw him as a child.  Jin realized Kuma

could smell the unearthly creature that attacked him; all animals could sense the

supernatural.  Kuma tried to lick Jin's hands and arms, trying to get the horrible stench of

death off of him.

            "Don't worry about me!…" Jin whispered so no one would think he was crazy

talking to a bear.  "…I'll wash off the smell…I was attacked by a ghost...that's what you

think smells like 'death'…as you put it."

            "Is that what it is?…" Kuma slumped down next to the bathroom door as Jin

walked in it.  "…I've smelled ghosts before, and you don't smell like one…was it a

different kind of ghost?"

            "I guess you could say that." Jin slowly shut the door.

            "Then I'd better watch over you!…" Kuma replied as he waited by the closed

door.  "…I'll make sure it doesn't hurt you again, cub."  His big brown eyes looked back

and fourth down the hallway as his backend slumped down to the floor.

 

            Jin ran the cold water; splashing his face and drinking the water…he was still

very thirsty.  He grabbed a glass and filled it twice, but he got impatient waiting for the

glass to fill, so he just put his mouth under the faucet.  He only stopped when his stomach

couldn't take anymore…but he was still thirsty.  As he looked toward the mirror, he dried

his face with a nearby towel, and then looked back to the mirror.  He just now noticed his

arm…the burn had taken a twisted form.  He still found himself in that state between

dreaming and reality…he wasn't sure if he was awake or not.  But each time he looked

down at his arm, he was smacked to an ugly reality.  He had to touch it lightly with his

fingertips, tracing the form to make sure it was there.  The burns from last night took the

shape of two jagged black lines.  He didn't know what to do or what to make of it…but it

made Jin furious.  He picked up a washcloth and some soap and tried washing the burned

skin away…maybe it was only on the upper layer of his skin.  Through the suds, the lines

remained, and even clearer now that he washed the charred skin around the lines.  He

wouldn't believe that it was permanent…it had to come off somehow.  The mark only

reminded him of his rage, causing him to scrub even harder.  When he realized it wasn't

coming off, he tried to dig it off his arm with his fingernails…but it was black and bloody

underneath.  Jin remembered how deep it felt when he was burned…it had to be burned

deeper than his skin…in his soul.

            In acceptance that it wasn't coming off, he leaned against the bathroom wall and

looked down at the counter.  The blood had gotten everywhere…he couldn't believe he

did this to himself.  He looked up at the mirror, not at his arm, but at his face.  It didn't

even look like his face anymore, a year ago he looked so much thinner.  His hair was wet

and messy, some of it hanging in his face and some sticking up in the back.  His

eyebrows had gotten a lot thicker in the past year, only making his eyes look smaller.  He

didn't like what he had become…he hated the face in the mirror…he slowly slid down

the wall to the cold floor.  He couldn't do a thing, but just sit there, wondering when he

was going to wake up.

            "Cub?…" Kuma's thoughts came through the door.  "…what's wrong?"

            "I hurt myself…" Jin replied.  "…but I'm alright."  He washed his arm off, then

the counter.  He wrapped his wound up in gauze, and then opened the door.  To his

surprise, Mrs. Hinako was standing there.  She often surprised him because she was one

of the few people whom he could not sense her thoughts or emotions.  Jin knew there

would always be those that he would not be able to detect, so it didn't worry him too

much.  Kay looked down at Jin; his face reminded her of the first day he came to the

Mishima estate. 

            "So that's what Kuma is so upset about…"  Kay was passing by but stopped when

she saw the bear starring intently at the door.  She reached out to look at his arm, but he

turned away.  "…I'm sorry…" She apologized when she realized how upset he was; he

wouldn't even look her in the eye.  "…would you like to tell me what happened some

other time?"

      Jin nodded. 

            "Alright then…" She watched Kuma lick Jin's hands.  "…But do you need to see

a physician?"

            Jin shook his head.  "I don't think…anyone would believe me."

            Kay's eyes widened, afraid she knew of the situation already. 

            "It came for you, didn't it?…" Her voice got quiet.  "…The same thing that took

your mother?"

            Jin looked up.  The words were at the tip of his tongue, but they wouldn't come

out.  But in short breaths, he spoke.

            "Y..You know?"  He kept his hand over the gauze covering his wound; the blood

began to seep through onto his fingers.

            Kay nodded.  "An invisible attacker?…glowing eyes?…" she asked.  Jin agreed. 

"…Your grandfather and I are sponsoring a secret program to somehow capture that

thing…it attacks those of great strength, usually martial artists and other fighters.  We've

given it the nickname of Toshin, the fighting god.  It's taken many lives, trust me, you're

not alone.  But you can't mention this to anyone, Jin; we don't want to create a world

wide scare.  God only knows what people would do if they knew such a thing existed…it

would be mass hysteria."

            "Toshin?" Jin breathed.  That thing actually had a name?…he wasn't the only one

who had seen it?  This chilled his body to the core, yet he was relieved he was not alone.

            "That's right…" Kay replied as she tried to get a better look at Jin's injured arm. 

"…It was set free almost a year ago, right before you came to live here.  It went on a

worldwide rampage soon after, attacking and taking the lives of many.  Toshin has made

targets of many other previous contestants from the Tekken tournaments, the tournament

your grandfather sponsored.  I know of all of the fighters from the Tekkens…I've been

researching them to try and figure out if there is some sort of pattern in Toshin's attacks. 

I haven't found out much I'm afraid…it looks like Toshin just goes after strong souls at

random, he has no defined pattern.  When you told us your mother was Jun Kazama, I

had a bad feeling that Toshin took her; but you said she died in a fire, and I didn't feel I

had the right to ask you to tell me the truth."

            "I'm sorry I lied to you..." Jin looked down to see his wrappings were already

bloody.  "…I never suspected anyone would believe me, let alone actually know what it

was."  He started to peel his bandage off.

            "I'll call the physician…" She winced at the sight of his wound, and urged him to

go to his room, pushing him in that direction as Kuma followed them.  "…I want to make

sure you're alright, that wound looks terrible!  You had better lay down until he gets

here."

            Kay and Kuma escorted Jin to his bedroom.  He sat on the edge of his bed as she

called for the Mishima's personal physician.  Kuma lay down next to his feet, not saying

much, just making sure he was there to keep Jin company.  Kay put the phone down, and

then opened his curtains to let the sunlight in.

            "He'll be here in less than an hour…" Kay turned the television on.  "…Do you

need anything while you wait, something to eat maybe?"

            "I would love something to drink!…" He remembered again how thirsty he was. 

"…I've been so thirsty since…Toshin…attacked me.  Could I please get some iced

tea?… a whole pitcher?"

            "Of course!…" She replied as she picked up the phone again.  She dialed and

waited for an answer.  "…I'm not surprised you're so thirsty, Toshin supposedly burns

his victims from the inside out…like spontaneous combustion.  That probably burned out

most of the moisture in you.  You know, no one has ever been reported to actually

survive a Toshin attack, you're a very lucky boy, Jin."

             Jin nodded in agreement as Kay got a hold of whom she was calling.  He

pondered on her words, burning from the inside...no one ever survived…why was he

sparred?  Did he actually fight the creature off with his mind, or did it simply spare him

for it's own twisted reasons?

            Kay set the phone down.  "Shoji will be by real soon with your tea, I also asked

him to bring you something to eat.  Will you be alright while I go take care of something

for a moment?"

            "I will…" Jin got lost in his thoughts.  "…Thank you, Mrs., Hinako."

            Kay left Jin with Kuma, slowly shutting the door behind her.  She knew she had

to speak with her employer as soon as possible. 

            She found Heihachi Mishima in one of the sitting rooms, next to the fireplace. 

The only light was from the fire, the light flickered across the wooden floor.

            "Sir…" She lowered her head.  "…Your grandson had an encounter with the

Toshin creature.  He seems not too badly injured, I called your physician to come take a

look at him."

            "Jin survived an attack from the fighting god?…" Heihachi replied, not turning

away from the fire.  "…I shouldn't be so surprised, he is my grandson, after all.  I

wouldn't expect any less of him.  It's sure to come back …we can use that as a window

of opportunity to capture the creature."

            "Sir, aren't you afraid it will hurt Jin again?…" Kay implored him.  "…I agree

that it's a great chance to try and confine the creature, but can you risk the life of your

own grandson?  It already injured him badly…maybe more than he let me know."

            "Jin's life won't be on the line, I can reassure you that, Mrs. Hinako…" Heihachi

stood up.  "…But don't get too attached to him.  I know you see Jin as the son you've

never had…and I sympathize with your sorrow…but I must warn you that Mishima men

have a reputation of deceit.  They all eventually are blinded by power and will knock

down anything that gets in their way, including those who care about them.  They start

off like innocent wolf pups, then they grow up into rabid beasts…It happened to his

father, and his uncles…Jin could disappoint you, Hinako."

            "I have faith in him, sir…" Kay held her clenched fists at her sides.  "…I have the

faith of an angel."

            Heihachi turned toward her, his pale eyes made his gaze like ice.  Kay took a step

backward.

            "Hinako, perhaps it's time for a third tournament."